What has been the ploy of persecutors down through the ages?
Down through the ages, the ploy of persecutors has been to force people to make a choice: blaspheme Jesus Christ, renege on Him, recant faith in Him, or be put to death. Saul of Tarsus used this against fellow Jews, compelling them to blaspheme.
Les explains that Saul of Tarsus had received authority from the chief priests, and when believers were put to death, he gave his voice or vote against them. He voted to put them to death, reasoning, 'Why feed an enemy? Get rid of him. Take no prisoners.' He punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme. Les teaches that this has been the ploy of persecutors down through the ages: force people to choose—blaspheme Jesus Christ, renege on Him, recant faith in Him, or be put to death. Saul placed his fellow Jews in that same position: blaspheme the name of Jesus, hate Him as he did, or die. Later, when he learned the one he persecuted was his Old Testament Jehovah, it beat him down, and he sorrowed over persecuting those Jewish believers. In 1 Corinthians 15 he calls himself the least of the apostles because he persecuted the church, the assembly of God, those Jewish believers at Jerusalem.
And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities.